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Total energy is always constant; however, on the other hand, it is possible to convert useful energy into useless energy. This is an irreversible process, so for all practical purposes, this energy is "lost". It still exists as some type of energy (usually heat), but it can no longer be used.

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How is energy lost in a food web and what are the mechanisms that contribute to this loss?

Energy is lost in a food web through various mechanisms such as heat loss, incomplete digestion, and metabolic processes. When organisms consume food, only a portion of the energy is transferred to the next trophic level, with the rest being lost as heat during metabolic processes. Additionally, energy is lost through waste production and respiration, further reducing the overall energy available in the food web.


What model shows the amount of energy lost during transference between trophic levels?

Food Web


Is Every time energy is transferred between organisms in a food web some of the energy is lost as heat.?

Yes, energy is lost as heat each time it is transferred between organisms in a food web. This is due to inefficiencies in energy transfer, metabolism, and body heat generation. The second law of thermodynamics states that energy transformations are never 100% efficient, leading to energy loss in the form of heat.


Why all the energy from the bottom of a food web cannot be passed to organisms at the top of the food web?

Energy transfer through a food web is inefficient due to the laws of thermodynamics, specifically the second law, which states that energy is lost as heat during each trophic level transition. Typically, only about 10% of the energy is passed from one level to the next, while the rest is used for metabolism, growth, and maintenance, or is lost as waste. Consequently, this limits the amount of energy available to organisms at the top of the food web, resulting in fewer top predators compared to organisms at lower levels.


Energy that is not available to other organisms in a food web is energy that is?

lost as heat and used for the organism's own metabolic processes. It is not passed on to other organisms through consuming.


What energy role is the cat in the food web?

what energy role does the cat play in the food web


How can energy be lost in a food chain?

Energy can be lost in a food chain by heat or waste.


How is energy transferred through a food web and food chain using law of conversation of energy?

Energy is transferred through a food web and food chain as animals consume each other in a linear fashion. The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred. Therefore, energy moves through the food chain as it is absorbed by organisms at each trophic level and passed on to the next, with some energy lost as heat in each transfer.


What kind of energy is in a food web?

Food energy, which is a type of chemical energy.


What happens to energy as we move from step to step in a web?

Energy is lost


Is matter and energy conserved in a food web?

Matter and total energy are ALWAYS conserved. However, in a food web, you will often consider the USABLE energy; this gets reduced at each step of the food web.


Where does energy go in a food chain or web?

Heat, Food, Energy are some ways energy are lost at each level of the food chain.